“I have something to tell you…It’s a surprise, but I can’t keep it
in! We’re going to the Farmhouse this weekend!” Emily said to me over
lunch on Tuesday.
While my inner reaction was a mixture of happiness and relief, I
immediately became concerned. Emily had wanted to go “canyoning” or
repelling this weekend. Repelling involves wearing a body harness
while walking backward down the sheer face of a canyon. Then when you
reach the bottom, you hike back up and move to a new location to
repeat the process.
While she felt repelling was the most fun she’s ever had, I found the
idea…repelling. So, I had wanted her to go without me or to go with
one of her Nepali friends. Yadda yadda yadda…the repelling place
requires at least two people and none of the Nepalis were available.
I had decided that we’d come a long way to be here and Emily should
get her repelling experience, so I agreed to go. When she told me that
she had “secretly” booked a trip back to the Farmhouse in Nagarkot
because I really wanted to stay there last weekend, I was worried that
she was giving up something very important to her for something I
would greatly enjoy, but would not spend the rest of my life bemoaning
if we hadn’t done it.
Emily said that I had been a trooper being in Nepal still when if the
situation had been reversed, she would have wanted to leave – and that
a restful weekend away might be very nice before the chaos of India.
Besides, she had already booked it.
So, Friday afternoon we got in a private car (aka beater Toyota) which
took us all the way here to the Farmouse resort – no scaling hillsides
– with views of the Himalayas from big beautiful rooms with giant
windows and decks. It feels like another world. A restful world. A
world in which we slept in.
This weekend, like last we met very interesting people including a
group of three middle-aged guys from Del Mar (San Diego) who were all
owners/CEOs of their very successful businesses. They were doing a
“bro-man” trip to Nepal and Northern India together. A whirlwind trip
of less than two weeks with more planned that they could handle.
For their two days in Nepal, they came to the Farmhouse. We spent the
evening talking, dining and playing cards with them. One even went to
University High School in West LA – just like my father and aunts.
We also met an American-Canadian couple with a baby and a yellow lab.
David is a doctor who did his undergrad at University of Michigan,
just like Emily – only he’s ten years older and looks about five years
younger than us. He now practices travel medicine at the premier
international medicine clinic in Kathmandu. His wife is from Winnipeg
and teaches at the Lincoln American School – the official American
International school of Nepal. We had a fantastically social evening.
Today, Emily woke up sick – purging herself of a poor choice of street
snack yesterday. She’s now feeling better and David isn’t too
concerned about her. She’s finally taking down a little food. Emily
made the most of it by laying in bed, occassionally reading and
looking out our corner room at the Everest Range of the Himalayas.
Everything is peaceful and quiet – without steep hills and uphill
treks. For the first time in our Nepal experience, I feel rested and
relaxed. I hope Emily will feel the same tomorrow.
